Sandler Rule Twenty-Nine: Your Meter's Always Running

In my continuing series on the Sandler Rules, let’s talk about Sandler rule number twenty-nine, “Your meter’s always running.”

If you know me professionally, you’ll probably think it’s comical that I am writing about this rule… but I promise, I’ve got some valuable insight on this.

In sales, the phrase “your meter’s always running” applies to blurring the line between friendship and business.

How you handle yourself in business matters.

Whether you’re meeting a new prospect at a coffee shop, giving a presentation to your boss, or going to a company conference, having a professional demeanor reflects well on you and on the people you work with.

So, what happens when you are already friends with the people you work with? And, what happens when you become friends with your clients?

Having trouble figuring out why those two things can be problematic? Let me explain.

When you’re strictly in a business relationship, it’s easy to navigate. You’ll set your up-front contract and know what to expect of the other person, and what to do when those expectations fall short or are ignored.

But when you’re in a friendship and that also is a business relationship, you open yourself up to what Sandler calls “little favors.” These can be anything from price negotiations to delivery concessions to rescheduled meetings. Anything that, in the client’s mind, is small enough to be considered a friendly request.

However, even a small friendly favor tips the equal business stature in the client’s favor.

Here’s an example from my own life.

My daughter Esther does my social media. And I’m supposed to send my monthly “theme” (examples- favorite holiday movies, dog days of summer, cadence strategies etc.) to her by the 15th of each month. But I oftentimes send it to her late, and often after she’s bothered me about it a couple of times.

Why? Because she’s my daughter, and I’ve been able to take advantage of that relationship knowing that she will get it done no matter how late I get the theme to her.

(Now I don’t recommend doing this with your clients, especially if you also work with Esther.)
Clients can sometimes ask for bigger favors too, especially if they were friends with you first. They could ask for a free consulting session or try to make a change to their order, after it’s been placed.

And you may feel obligated to do it, because isn’t that what friends are for?

I want you to know that you don’t need to cater to their every whim. It’s not fair to you, and over time, it will compromise both your friendship and your business relationship.

Now you might think I’m encouraging you not to be friends with your clients, or to turn your friends into clients… which definitely isn’t true!

There is a way to be friends with your clients. Here’s how: You have to put your role as a salesperson before your role as a friend.

Real friends and clients will understand the reasoning behind this and won’t fault you for being professional. If someone does seem to blame you for being professional, you may want to reconsider working with them.

If you learn anything through this post, I hope it’s this: When the equal business stature has tipped, you know the lines between professionality and friendship has blurred.